For many years it has been the normal practice in the construction industry to construct internal walls from plasterboard, attached to wooden or metal studs. To install plasterboard walls with an acceptably smooth finish, and to set the joints between adjacent plasterboard panels, it is necessary to employ skilled plasterboard "setters". This not only increases costs, but influences the building timetable; to achieve maximum efficiency, a building should be prepared to the stage where all plasterboard walls can be installed at one time, so that the setters are on site for the minimum time necessary. A significant cost drawback is the fact that it is unavoidable that this work must be carried out on site.
Once the plasterboard walls have been installed, they need to be sanded before being painted. The sanding procedure creates a significant amount of gypsum dust, with a consequent effect on all articles and material on the site. Moreover, because it is necessary to paint plasterboard, the cost of painting is a significant part of building.
Should it become necessary to repair a plasterboard wall, if a professional finish is required, it is necessary to call in a plasterboard setter and to endure the dust created during the sanding procedure. In addition, it is necessary to repaint the wall after repair.
There is a further problem associated with plasterboard walls, which arises during demolition. Demolition of internal plasterboard walls is frequently necessary in commercial buildings, for example, when a tenant leaves the building. Demolition of plasterboard walls is usually also necessary during refurbishment. Plasterboard walls cannot be dismantled without substantial damage to the plasterboard, to the extent that the plasterboard is not reusable. Even more significantly, substantial gypsum dust is created. It is believed that the inhalation of gypsum dust may have a deleterious effect on health. Consequently, in some jurisdictions, safe work practices require that adjacent areas are evacuated during the demolition of plasterboard walls. This can result in loss of rent for a landlord and interruption of business and loss of profits for a tenant.
After plasterboard walls have been demolished, the plasterboard has a "negative" value in that it is necessary to pay for its removal and disposal. Plasterboard and its framing is not recyclable on an economic basis. It is an aim of the present invention to provide a construction system which can avoid the use of plasterboard panels and hence the difficulty and cost involved in construction, repair and demolition involving plasterboard panels.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a building system which can permit wall panels to be reusable.
It is a further object to provide, in one aspect of the invention, a system which can use wall panels already finished in the factory, so that painting on site is not required.
When wall panels, plasterboard or otherwise, are transported to a building site, damage frequently occurs. In many cases, the damage is relatively minor, and one side of the panel is usable.
It is an object of this invention, in one aspect, to provide a building element which will permit a panel to be erected with either side outermost.
During occupation of buildings, damage is occasionally caused to wall panels. Rather than obtain a replacement panel, it would be desirable to be able to detach the panel and reverse it so that the damaged side is concealed in the wall cavity. This invention, in one aspect, aims to provide that capability.
It is yet a further object of this invention to provide a building system which can be integrated with furniture, especially office furniture, such as work stations.